Will Windows 8 Be Bigger Hit on Server Side?

Windows 8 is destined to be more of a hit on the server side than the client side. Here's why.

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The speculative release timeframe for Windows Server 8 and Windows 8 client is next year. But adoption rate trends typically become noticeable two or three years after an OS's release. During that time, we will witness Windows Server 8 more widely embraced than the Windows 8 client.

Historically, new Windows OS releases have had quicker adoption rates on the desktop side than the server side. This is not any great revelation—data centers are slower to upgrade servers than clients because there's simply more testing and planning needed to ensure that a server upgrade doesn't "break" existing software, services, and processes.

Remember when Windows 2000 Server and client were released in 1999? There was no shortage of reports and surveys on the Internet detailing how much slower Windows 2000 Server adoption was when compared to the desktop. Yet, that trend turned on its head with the release of Vista and Server 2008. Forrester said that year that Vista adoption was "stuck" at just fewer than 10 percent of all business PCs. Businesses, however, were more likely to upgrade Server 2003 to Server 2008 because of all of the new enhancements, including those surrounding security and virtualization. Server 2008 R2 is also enjoying a relatively fast-paced adoption rate.

It will be the same with Windows 8. Businesses will see value in introducing Server 8 in a data center. With Windows 8 client, there is sure to be hesitancy in the enterprise and also among users.

There are a few reasons why. On the client side:

Businesses are still largely on XP. Most businesses have still not made the transition to Windows 7 on client machines. Windows 7 is such a solid, stable OS that it is highly unlikely that IT departments will skip an upgrade from Windows 7 and go directly to Windows 8. That upgrade path is also not likely to be supported by Microsoft anyway. In the three to five years after the release of Windows 8, businesses will have transitioned over to Windows 7 and not 8. Client machines in the enterprise make up a lion's share of Windows client deployments. If Windows 8 is not embraced by the enterprise, the adoption numbers will appear paltry.

Windows 8 "Metro" interface lends to user confusion. The big selling factor of Windows 8 client to end-users is the new touch capable, tiled interface. It looks like the Windows Phone 7 interface and it's not hard to imagine users puzzled and asking, "Is it for laptops, tablets, desktops…?" It's unlikely that anyone but the most technically adventurous will be downloading Windows 8. The alternate interface is "Windows 7-like" so why wouldn't users just stay with Windows 7? The most exciting announcement around Windows 8 client is its ability to run on ARM devices. That means OEM mobile devices that consumers will buy with Windows 8 already on them. So, Windows 8 is not likely to be a large upgrade option for consumers and home users as Windows 7 from XP was.

Users will reject the ribbon interface in Windows Explorer. Many hate it in Windows apps. A bad idea by Microsoft to an already decent file management interface.

The touted enhanced security in Windows 8 client is not good enough. The fact that Windows 8 can check for trusted apps at boot time is good, but an expended Windows Defender is not impressive. PCMag's Neil Rubenking, "along with representatives from computer security vendors, recently questioned if Windows Defender and other security features in Windows 8 are good enough. The collective response was no.

Featured "goodies" on Windows 8 are not enticing enough. At BUILD, Microsoft announced that the Windows 8 clients would link various components of the Windows ecosystem, including the cloud storage service SkyDrive and Xbox Live. I use a Windows Phone 7 as a second phone and while I am an avid Xbox gamer, I see no reason to be that connected to my Xbox account on either a phone or a system running Windows 8. As far as SkyDrive interoperability, you can't throw a cat up in the air these days without it landing on some offered cloud service. Cloud storage options are too ubiquitous for users to really be seduced by integration with SkyDrive.

Meanwhile, on the server side:

Windows Server 8 deployment is designed to be simple. Server 8 can be added to an existing 2008 R2 domain without any changes in the existing infrastructure. Businesses that want to leverage the new enhancements in Server 8 can do so by introducing a Server domain controller into a Windows domain and upgrading the domain's level to Server 8, according to Microsoft. If this proves as easy as it reads, it's a sure winner in the enterprise.

Server 8 adds crucial, and highly demanded capabilities. The latest server OS is an IT person's OS. Microsoft implemented features that IT pros demanded including NIC teaming, DC replication, cluster updating and more.

Does all of this mean Windows 8 client will be a failure? No. It is destined to be more of an offering on tablets and to work in sync with Windows Phone 7. Server 8 simply offers more practical, concrete usefulness that businesses will want while the Windows 8 client seems determined to hype itself more on the fluffier side of user computing

Samara Lynn has nearly twenty years experience in Information Technology; most recently as IT Director at a major New York City healthcare facility. She has a Bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College, several technology certifications, and she was a tech editor for the CRN Test Center.
With an extensive, hands-on background in deploying and managing Microsoft Windows infrastructures and networking, she was included in Black Enterprise's "20 Black Women in Tech You Need to Follow on Twitter," and received the 2013 Small Business Influencer Top 100 Champions...
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